Buffalo Sabres to win close game against Tampa Bay Lightning - NHL Preview
Buffalo Sabres will be hoping that their current form at home ice continues as they welcome the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, February 11, 2012, at the First Niagara Center.
The Sabres will be continuing a four-game home stretch, which has seen them win their past two encounters emphatically, including a 6-0 drubbing of the defending Stanley Cup Champions, Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
They followed that up with a closely fought 3-2 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday and their three-game winning run has seen them become surprise entrants into the playoff race, in the Eastern Conference.
Centre Derek Roy is rightfully proud of his team’s fight back against Dallas and said that the Sabres need to continue with such performances over the next games.
Speaking to the media after the game, he said.
"We need character wins like that, and it's a big two points for us," Roy said. We've just got to keep this thing going. Everybody's on the same page and we've got to keep the momentum going."
Buffalo’s record currently stands at 24-24-6 with 54 points as they occupy the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Trailing by eight points to the Toronto Maple Leafs who occupy the final playoff spot, Buffalo will be looking to continue their winning form with the visit to Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay surged in the final two weeks of January as they built up a five game winning run to get themselves back in the thick of the playoff race. Yet results in February have not been kind to them.
The Lightning have lost three of their last four games.
Tampa Bay will enter Saturday’s match on the back of a fighting 4-3 overtime loss to Eastern Conference league leaders New York Rangers.
The spirit shown by the players and their never say die attitude have made coach Guy Boucher proud and he believes that the game against the Rangers showcased the fighting spirit of his side.
"We came in against the No. 1 team in the conference and we made it hard for them again. We've only lost one regulation game in nine games, so we are playing well. We're making it hard. We're fighting."
That fighting spirit will be needed in big supply as the Lightning face Buffalo who have lost just once on home ice this month.
The Sabres will be favourites to pick up the win on the back of their great form at home and are 2.24 to win in regulation at http://www.bettor.com.
Tampa Bay are underdogs at 2.88.
Recommendation: Close game but Buffalo to win it.
Tags: